Just for Now
by marsh king's daughter
Summary: Edward's left in emotional turmoil when he finds out Bella is in love with Jacob. Thank goodness Jasper's there to take some of the pain away. Jasper x Edward. SLASH.


**Disclaimer:**Unfortunately, the Twilight series and all of its characters aren't mine.

**Warnings:**Slash. If you don't like it, don't read it.

oOoOo

**j**ust for **now**

oOoOo

"Something's bothering you."

The closest I ever really come to experiencing what it's like for your thoughts to be on display, your privacy encroached upon, is with Jasper. Granted, it's never quite so explicit as my ability, given that the cause of our emotions isn't necessarily apparent to him, but this time it's clear. A flickering image of Bella's face crosses his mind, and I know it's futile for me to deny his assumptions and act like I'm fine. Nevertheless, I'm taken by surprise when instead of being left alone or having the anticipated wave of comfort and relief wash over me, he's at my side in a flash, curling up on the other side of the sofa in less than a second and giving the impression that he's been there for hours.

His thoughts are curious now, as he musingly debates what's wrong and flashes of Jacob join the mix. I stiffen slightly, trying to keep myself calm despite the fact that I can tell just from the thin set of his lips and the narrowing of his eyes that he's caught the deepening turmoil of my emotions.

"It's different than usual," he says finally, looking somewhat perplexed. "Usually when it's something to do with Bella and Jacob you're angry. Jealous. But this time it's different," he repeats, and I find myself jerking my head to stare down at the carpet, irrationally uncomfortable under his scrutinizing gaze, his eyes warm and golden, thirst satiated after his recent hunting trip with Alice and Emmett.

"I'm fine," I mutter under my breath, not really caring if he knows it's the exact opposite. Maybe if I block him out long enough, he'll just use his abilities and leave. Usually I resist his powers, but right now I don't really mind if he only gives me an illusion. Right now anything would be better than reality.

_She loves him_.

"You're not fine," Jasper sighs, beginning to sound a bit frustrated. "You're…sad. Heartbroken. You're lonely," he concludes, and I absently note that he appears to have shifted slightly closer to me during his analysis.

"Don't be ridiculous," I chide, running a hand through my hair in irritation. "Why would I be lonely when everyone I need is right-,"

His fingers clamp tightly around my wrist before I have time to stop him, and his skin is chilled and hard against my own. "Don't lie to me, Edward."

"There's nothing _wrong_!" I yell, trying to pull away, but he doesn't budge. "Let me go," I add in a lower voice, smooth and dangerous.

"Edward-,"

"We're getting married," I spit vehemently. "We're getting married, and we'll spend the rest of our lives together. We don't need anyone else. She doesn't need him and I don't need-,"

There are suddenly lips moving against mine, impossibly slow, and yet I'm overwhelmed by the feeling, finding it hard to process what's going on no matter how much time he gives me. He lets go of my wrist in favor of tangling his hands through my hair, and I just let my limbs hang loosely at my sides, knowing that I should be pushing him away but finding it hard to make my body comply.

"I don't need you," I finish brokenly as he pulls back a bit, my eyes stinging in a long-forgotten way as he gives me a gentle expression, carefully catching the newly-shed teardrop from my eye.

A rather bemused /_Of course you don't/_ flits through his mind, and then he's silently repeating my name as he leans in again, softly tugging on my bottom lip and grazing it lightly with his teeth before he begins to suck. Suddenly I understand why it's so hard for Bella when everything moves so achingly slow, but the thought of her is immediately pushed away as he runs his tongue across my lower lip, requesting entrance.

I oblige.

I find my hands wandering up his back as he explores my mouth, the taste of his tongue foreign and intoxicating. He refuses to let me battle for dominance, still intent on keeping everything slow and controlled as our tongues intertwine and a pleasant tingle of warmth begins creeping up my spine. I allow myself to get lost in the feeling as he begins to trail chaste kisses up and down my jaw, dipping a bit higher or lower every now and then to brush my earlobe or my neck. My eyes flutter shut, and as he sucks on a particularly sensitive area of skin I moan, gasping his name in a breathy voice.

I don't understand why he stops at first, until I open my eyes and take in his flushed appearance, eyes considerably darker than when he first entered my room. It slowly begins to dawn on me then, but as I pay closer heed to his thoughts once more there's nothing short of clear, crisp understanding.

Images of me beneath him, sweaty and panting, my own eyes nearly black with lust as he takes of my shirt, tongue still tracing across my weak spot as I continue moaning his name unabashedly. The second he begins imagining our hips pressing together I force myself to lose focus, his thoughts turning to only a blur of white noise in the back of my mind.

"Shall we stop for today?"

I can only nod meekly as he pulls away, fingers freeing my bronze locks. I remain breathless on the couch as he gets up, flashing a rare smile.

By instinct, if nothing else, I quickly latch on to the hem of his shirt, keeping him with me for just a moment longer. He looks at me quizzically, eyes back to their warm, honey shade, and I let the first words that come to mind roll off of my tongue. "Thanks," I murmur. "For using your powers, I mean. I feel a lot better now."

The corners of his lips twitch upward once more, and a second later my fingertips are clutching at thin air and he's paused in front of my door.

"Edward?"

A funny feeling runs through the pit of my stomach as he says my name. "Yeah?"

"I didn't do anything."

And with that, he's gone.

oOoOo

**Author's Notes: **Wow, this practically wrote itself, which is funny given it's my first dip into this fandom and I've long been suffering from writer's block on everything else. So. As far as I know, this is the first Jasper x Edward fic on this site, so I have no idea if anybody will even read this and that's why I wrote just a short, plotless oneshot to start. But hey, if people enjoy it, I'd be happy to write more. :D

-Emmy

Reviews would be greatly appreciated…have a cookie?


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